by Jenny Frame
“How do you know?” Alice was a tough sell.
“I’m good at reading people.” She didn’t say that there was certain vulnerability and fear in Trent’s eyes. That was for Wendy to know. “So what do you say? Will you do it for me?”
Alice nodded. “Okay.”
“Great, now why don’t you have a lie-down before dinner. Take my iPhone and listen to an audiobook or some calming music, not the loud stuff on the radio.”
Alice showed interest when Wendy said audiobook. “You have audiobooks? I love books.”
Wendy opened up her audiobook app. She had most of the children’s classics and some for older children like Harry Potter. She used them a lot in her job as a nanny for children who had trouble sleeping.
Wendy stroked Alice’s hair and said, “Books are places you can visit in your imagination when real life is difficult, I always think.”
Alice scrolled through the books and stopped on Peter Pan, then gave her a half smile. “You’re in this one, Wendy.”
Wendy laughed softly. “When I was a little girl, I wished that Wendy Darling and Peter Pan would fly me off to Neverland.”
Wendy scrolled further down and stopped on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. “Why don’t you start with this one. You’re in that story.”
“Okay. If you think so.” Alice got her earbuds from her bedside table and plugged them in to the iPhone. “Wendy, who are these people? I didn’t mean to go into your pictures—I just hit the wrong button.”
Wendy looked at the phone quickly and smiled. It was her photo album named My Families. She opened the album and pages of family photos were displayed on the screen. “These are all the families I’ve been nanny for. All the families I’ve helped. I started this little tradition of taking a photo before I leave, and it led to this full album.”
Alice leaned her head to the side and regarded her quizzically. “Are you here to help us?”
Wendy smiled. That was her goal, to bring families together, and she wasn’t going to let this unusual one flounder.
“Yes, I’m here to help.”
Alice smiled and put her earbuds in. “Call me Ali, Wendy. My dad did.”
“I will, thank you.”
Wendy got up off the bed and left Alice to her audiobook. Maybe the film upsetting Alice wasn’t so bad after all. It got them talking, and Alice was much happier after this chat than before.
Now to make dinner a success.
* * *
Trent was stuck in traffic, but she wasn’t too upset about that. She was nervous about having dinner with Wendy and the children, so the longer the traffic jam, the longer she could postpone it.
She looked around the large Mercedes people carrier her secretary had leased for her and was quite satisfied with it. Trent picked it up after work and was pleasantly surprised at the car. The very phrase people carrier had made her shudder in the past because it was everything that made her feel uneasy. Wife, family, home, 2.4 children.
Dale had bought one of these for her family, and even though she still had her sports car in the garage, it felt like you had to give up part of yourself, part of your personality, to have a family. But it was as luxurious as her sports car and had a fantastic engine on it. It would certainly be safe and comfortable for Wendy, Alice, and Noah. And she wanted them to be comfortable—she might not be a kid person like Dale, but she would be good at providing everything they needed.
Trent’s mobile rang, hooked up to the car’s Bluetooth. It was Lady Claudia again. She had been texting and phoning since Trent walked out on dinner the other night, and Trent had ignored her.
She just wanted to let her go, but she couldn’t ignore her forever. Lady Claudia was a big name in socialite circles, and those circles were the bulk of her clientele. She had to find a way to brush her off without causing offence.
She accepted the call and said, “Hello?”
“Well, hello. You are a hard woman to get hold of.”
“I’m sorry, Lady Claudia, I’ve been extremely busy at work and at home,” Trent said.
“Hmm, well I just wanted to apologize for the way dinner ended the other night. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
The traffic jam started to move at last. “Don’t worry about it. My life is upside down at the moment, and losing my cousin in such a violent way was difficult.”
“I understand completely.” Claudia started to laugh. “The thought of you trying to handle children is just too funny for words, but I want to remind you that your old life will be waiting for you when they’ve gone to boarding school, and so will I. In the meantime, you have a nanny—use her, and we can still go out.”
Life would be waiting for her? Is that what life really was? Wining and dining with shallow, pompous rich people and coming home to a dark penthouse? Did she want to be doing that when she was fifty, sixty?
“I’ll need to get back to you, Lady Claudia. I have a call coming in from home,” Trent lied.
“Very well, but I’ll be expecting a call soon. Goodbye.”
Trent let out a sigh of relief when Claudia hung up the phone. Claudia made her uneasy, and she wished she had never slept with her. Claudia reminded her of what she had said to Wendy and the children and her plans for them. It made the guilt she carried rear its head.
She looked at the car phone display and had the urge to call home. She had no idea of what to say but felt like she should.
The phone had voice controls, and so before she could change her mind she said, “Phone home.”
Just saying those two words gave her an unfamiliar tingle in her stomach. The phone rang a few times and then Wendy answered.
“Hello? Davina Trent’s residence.”
Trent would need to tell her to cut out the Davina. “Hi, it’s Trent. I’m running a little late. I picked up the car for you and the children on my way home, but traffic is horrendous.”
“That’s okay—we can wait for you. I made a casserole for dinner, and I can just heat that up when you get here.”
Damn. She’d hoped they might go ahead with dinner and she would get away with delaying her first awkward mealtime.
“If you insist. How are Alice and Noah?” Trent asked.
“All right. Noah is doing well. Alice had a wobble earlier, but we talked things through, and she felt better. She’s lying down just now and listening to an audiobook on my iPhone.”
“Okay, good. I won’t be long then. See you soon.”
“Bye, Trent,” Wendy said.
Trent said, “End call,” and the phone obliged.
Now she was even more terrified. They were waiting for her. What would she say when she walked in the door? What would Wendy say? What would Noah do?
She had the urge to turn the car around and run away, but something stopped her. She pictured Alice’s sad face and the look in her eyes, then gazed at her reflection in the rear-view mirror and touched the scar above her eyebrow. Trent couldn’t run when she knew how Alice felt right now, and she knew because she had been in Alice’s position as a child.
Trent couldn’t dismiss Alice and Noah as she had been. She had to try her best for them.
* * *
Trent’s nerves grew as she rode up in the lift to her penthouse. There was a warm home with good children and a beautiful nanny up there waiting. It shouldn’t be scary and would not be to a normal person.
The lift came to a stop, and Trent walked down the short corridor to her front door. She stood there staring at it, trying to find the courage to walk in. She put her key into the lock but didn’t turn it and held on to her case and the bag of sweets she had picked up at the local shop.
Trent thought that if she had something to hand over, it would ease her way. “Come on, Trent,” she told herself. She was never afraid of a packed courtroom or the toughest of judges, but this was daunting.
Trent took a breath and unlocked and opened the door. When she walked in, she was hit with warmth and the delicious smell of dinner. Th
at unknown tingle was back again.
Wendy was at the cooker and Noah appeared to be drawing at the island in the kitchen.
She walked a few steps in, and Wendy looked up and gave her a happy, sweet smile. “Hi there.”
Noah spotted her and got down from his chair and ran over to her, throwing his arms around her legs. “Hi, Trent. We made dinner for you,” he said happily.
Trent was tense being cuddled like that but managed to stroke the top of his head. “Thank you. I am hungry.” She was lost for what to say next, then remembered the sweets she had bought. “I…um…bought you something. Come over to the kitchen.”
Wendy was waiting for her. “Dinner is ready when you are—oh, and I put a bottle of wine in the fridge for you.”
“Thank you,” Trent said. What was this growing tingly feeling? Wendy’s preparing dinner and anticipating her needs intensified it.
“What did you buy, Trent?” Noah said.
Trent took out a big tub of chocolates and one full of jelly sweets. “I bought you these sweets. I hope you like them.”
“Yes, thanks,” Noah said.
Wendy gave her a pointed look. Did she not approve?
“Can I have some now?” Noah asked.
Wendy immediately intervened. “None till after dinner, Noah. Go and wash your hands. We’ll be eating shortly.”
Trent cleared her throat and pulled out the car keys from her pocket. “These are your keys for the car I leased. It’s a Mercedes people carrier. Lots of room for the children and shopping bags. I hope you’ll be happy with it.”
“It’ll be perfect, although I’ll be a little nervous driving such an expensive car.”
“Don’t worry,” Trent said. “I’m sure you’re a careful driver. I’ll just go and put my case in my office, and then I’ll come back for dinner.”
Wendy smiled and Trent had the urge to run her fingers through those little braids in her hair, which hung free from the blue headscarf Wendy was wearing today. The little braids made her appear whimsical, sweet, and soft.
Trent shook off the unusual feeling and walked along the corridor past the bedrooms. She stopped at Alice’s room and peeked in. Alice was lying down with earbuds in, but her eyes were wide open and she looked at Trent. She didn’t know what to say or do, so she waved her hand to Alice, smiled, and hurried further along the corridor to her office.
She shut the door quickly and took a few deep breaths. Her body was a maelstrom of emotions right now, and she didn’t know what to do with them.
* * *
Wendy finished dishing out her beef casserole, mashed potatoes, and vegetables and took a seat. Trent lifted the bottle of wine and said, “Would you like some wine, Wendy?”
Wendy smiled. “That would be nice. Thank you.”
Once it was poured, Wendy took a sip and watched Trent with interest. Her body was full of tension, but she was trying hard not to show it.
Trent began to eat and said, “This is delicious.”
“I’m sure you’re used to much better in the restaurants you go to.”
Trent looked her in the eye and said, “No, I’m not. This is wonderful. I haven’t had home-cooked meals in a long time.”
Wendy wondered if Trent had ever had a long-term girlfriend or if she simply liked the single life. She was fascinated to know.
The table went quiet after that. Noah was wolfing down his food, Alice was quietly eating her meal, and Trent was doing similar. She had to get family conversation going.
“Noah? Alice? Trent? At mealtimes I like everyone to tell us about their day,” Wendy said.
Trent snapped her head up and looked even more tense. But talking was the only way to get Trent to build bridges and connections with these kids.
“Why don’t you start, Noah?” Wendy said. She knew Noah would be full of things to tell Trent. He was the easiest to start with.
“After breakfast we went for a walk down at the water. Me, Ali, Wendy, and my dinosaur,” Noah said.
Wendy smiled, “That’s right—we walked along the river, and tell Trent what we saw.”
Noah gave Trent a big smile. “Ducks and swans!”
“Isn’t that nice, Trent?” Wendy said.
This felt like a peace conference with Wendy as the negotiator, bringing both sides together.
Trent still looked tense but replied, “Yes, I’ve never gone along the river walkway very far.”
Wendy finished eating her mouthful of food and said, “You’ll have to come with us one time.”
She looked at Alice next, but she appeared unsure of herself so she went to Trent. “How was your day, Trent?”
“Me?” Trent said nervously.
“Yes, you must have been busy today,” Wendy said.
Trent put down her cutlery and lifted her glass of wine. After a long sip, she said, “I was in court this morning, then saw some clients this afternoon.”
“What does a lawyer do, Trent?” Noah asked.
Then Alice said out of the blue, “Breaks up marriages.”
Wendy looked up at Trent and saw her retreating back into herself. She had to fix this. “That’s not the case, Alice. Sometimes marriages don’t work out, and people need to decide who gets what, in a fair way. Trent helps them with that.” That was an oversimplification and put Trent’s work in the best of lights. Divorces were rarely as civilized as that, but Wendy wanted the children to see Trent in the best light. After all, she was their only hope.
When she looked up Trent mouthed the words thank you and gave her an open smile, so different from the dismissive way she’d left home yesterday morning.
I knew you had potential. I’m going to make you three into a family.
Chapter Nine
The next two weeks went okay for Trent. She was having to get used to clutter around the flat, noise, the songs Wendy sang for every activity the children did, and dinner and conversation every night. She was using the one question Wendy had given her—How was your day?—every night, but without Wendy to hold the conversation together, she would be lost after that.
Alice didn’t speak to her much. Noah, on the other hand, made things easy. Trent simply coming home was exciting enough for him, which she didn’t quite understand. He was naturally good-natured, but Wendy told her he talked about her looking like his daddy a lot. That had been the first thing he said to her at the hospital and one of the things that made her flee that night.
That still scared her, but she did want to be able to hold a conversation with the kids when they met up in school holidays. Trent had found taking home treats after work was an easy way to ease her way with the children, even though Wendy had asked her not to any more, as she liked to keep sugary sweets to a minimum. But she couldn’t just arrive home with nothing. It wasn’t enough just to be herself.
Friday came along, and Trent was facing a whole weekend where she would be in much greater contact with Alice and Noah. Last weekend she had managed to get away with spending most of her time in her office since she had court to prepare for on Monday, and Wendy didn’t take her day off on Sunday, just to help out.
But this weekend Wendy was not only taking her day off but going out for the day, so Trent would be alone with her charges a lot. As the week progressed, she was getting more and more anxious about it. She needed something to occupy them and hopefully something they would enjoy.
She thought of Jake, and Sammy and Val’s daughter, Mia, and what they liked to do, and it came to her—computer games. It was perfect. Kids loved games, and video games would keep them busy and quiet, at the same time as buying some goodwill, Trent hoped.
The only problem was she had no idea what to buy. A quick phone call to Dale and they made plans to meet up on Friday afternoon to look at gaming systems.
Trent asked her secretary to keep her afternoon free on Friday so that she could leave early. She packed up her briefcase and got a taxi along to the shopping centre nearest her office. Trent walked in through the sliding
doors and was immediately aware of the noise of schoolchildren excited for their weekend ahead, busy mothers and fathers pushing prams, and crying children.
She wasn’t used to this kind of shopping. Hers was normally done online or in the exclusive department stores and boutiques London had to offer. This was chaotic.
There was a board by the escalator with directions to all the shops. She looked down the list until she saw the name Gaming World. The shop was located on the second floor, so she made her way up. As she came off the escalator, she saw Dale waiting by the door of the games shop, looking at her iPhone and completely oblivious to the group of young women across at the coffee kiosk, gazing at her and giggling like a bunch of schoolgirls.
What was it that women found so intriguing about Dale, Trent wondered. Then, as she got closer, she noticed Dale’s new haircut. What the hell had she done to her hair?
Never in a million years could she have imagined Becca would end up finding love with someone like Dale, but Dale loved her and took care of her like Trent couldn’t, so she was glad Becca had her, even though a small part of her still hurt.
Dale spotted her and walked over to meet her. “All right, mate?”
Trent shook her hand. “Yes, I’m fine. How are Becca and the children?”
Dale’s face came to life, and she beamed with smiles at the mention of her children. “They’re doing great. How are Alice and Noah? They must have gone through hell since their dad died. I lost my mum at eighteen and my world collapsed around me, so I can’t imagine what it would be like to have that happen at such a young age.”
Dale’s words brought the pain Alice and Noah must be feeling into sharp focus, and Trent remembered the pain that she herself had felt when her mother died.
“They’re doing okay. Alice is feeling it most. She’s old enough to understand exactly what happened,” Trent said.
Dale put her hand on Trent’s shoulder. “You know Becca and I will be here for you and help however we can.”